You may earn a maximum of 3 points toward your final grade by doing the above and answering the questions and submitting them ontime (no later than Sunday, March 11 at 12:01am). Any worksheets submitted after the deadline will get a 0. You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammar and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
This play takes place in New York City around 2011. The main characters are Amir, his wife Emily, who live together in Manhattan, and Abe who is Amir's nephew. They invite two friends Jory and Isaac for dinner. Over time, Amir struggles with his Pakistani-American Muslim identity because for his career, he tries to hide his identity for the sake of keeping everything okay. With friends over for dinner, many things happen that cause him to reconsider his own self for the sake of his sanity and well-being. He has conflicting ideas on what he should do.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion is when he finds out through his nephew Abe about a local imam who is imprisoned from an investigation regarding helping terrorist organizations. He wants Amir to represent him in court. but he refuses at first. He ends up going to his hearing after Emily says he should, and it gets published in the New York Times.
3. What is the unique factor?
The unique factor is this is the day Amir decides, even though reluctant at first, to go to the imam hearing. After this and the published article, he goes through conflicts with his identity, after discrimination with work and relationship problems with Emily after having dinner with friends.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
Will Amir ever be able to come to terms with his Pakistani/muslim roots?
How can Amir balance his identity of being Muslim and being American in terms of his career and family/personal relationships?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The kind of exposition that everyone knows is that Amir wants to distance himself from his roots. His last name is Hindu - Kapoor is a traditional Hindu last name which has nothing to do with Islam. Abe has his name changed to something more "American". Emily knows about what they are trying to do, even when her career herself is being an up-and-coming artist who deals with Islamic artistic themes. Amir and Abe always both tell each other that they should come to terms with identity, even though they BOTH want to dislike their own heritage because everyone knows, including them, that it is much harder in a post 9/11 USA to publicly identify and be proud of their roots.
The exposition that Amir only knows is the things that went on in his childhood. He tells Abe that because of what his mom did to him because of his crush back when he was a child, that Abe must realize that his mom taught him to see other religions as bad, and so therefore he feels animosity towards being raised as a muslim.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment in the play is when Amir beats up his wife Emily. This entire scene exemplifies his inner rage and the episode of violence is an outlet for him to express his mix of emotions because of what has happened thus far. He rejects his background in multiple ways, but cannot get over the fact that it is unfair that is discriminated against for having those roots even though he has distanced himself a lot from them. Emily represents a "white-washed" version of what it feels to be muslim, while Amir represents the real truth. Emily believes it isn't all that bad because she will never understand fully the reactions and racism being that has in society. Amir does understand, and because of those realizations, he wants to forget it all but has the outburst that plays a big role in tying the scenes together.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
Some themes in this play are race, religion, racism, self-identity, society vs, individuality.
8. What does the chief character want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of his getting what he wants?
Amir wants proper social status, respect that his white co-workers get, and to get the job position in the law firm that is instead given to another White co-worker. The obstacles that stand in his way are his Pakistani ethnicity and upbringing, the article in the New York Times after seeing the imam in court, and his Muslim background which he does not like prevent his wants from happening.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
When Emily paints the picture of Amir in the beginning of the play, Abe later recalls about it that Westerners have taken over Muslim traditions and ideals, and have forced them to assimilate into customs that are not in their Muslim culture. Amir becomes very angry with the painting and proceeds to beat up Emily. This image of the painting is a symbol for the dysfunction in their marriage, because they try to avoid the subject of Amir's upbringing conflicting with his wants in life. In a way, the painting makes him a disgrace to the traditional Muslim man and also a disgrace to the typical White man who lives comfortably with himself and society.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
Amir's relationship with his wife and nephew is complicated. Abe judges him for trying to erase his heritage and religion, and calls him out for being like the rest of the people who try to mix in with the American western culture and purposely stop celebrating their ethnicity and upbringing. With Emily, Amir sometimes gets annoyed with her for being ignorant to the conflicts it causes him. In her eyes, she doesn't see it as a big deal and cannot understand why he is so conflicted with his identity. His relationship with her is troubled, as they end up divorcing over this and cheating suspicions. The play also emphasizes the hypocrisy of Amir's mother when she belittled him for liking a Jewish girl, even when other families would do the same to their child if they liked a Muslim person.
You will be rewarded a maximum of 3 points if I judge your work to be above average. You will receive 2 points if your work is average, that is it may have a few minor mistakes in some of the answers but demonstrates correct grammar and indicates that some, but not all, of the answers, are acceptable and well expressed. You will earn only 1 point if you simply answered the questions and/or if you use poor grammar and if there are signs that you have not read the material on which your answers are based.
1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
This play takes place in New York City around 2011. The main characters are Amir, his wife Emily, who live together in Manhattan, and Abe who is Amir's nephew. They invite two friends Jory and Isaac for dinner. Over time, Amir struggles with his Pakistani-American Muslim identity because for his career, he tries to hide his identity for the sake of keeping everything okay. With friends over for dinner, many things happen that cause him to reconsider his own self for the sake of his sanity and well-being. He has conflicting ideas on what he should do.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion is when he finds out through his nephew Abe about a local imam who is imprisoned from an investigation regarding helping terrorist organizations. He wants Amir to represent him in court. but he refuses at first. He ends up going to his hearing after Emily says he should, and it gets published in the New York Times.
3. What is the unique factor?
The unique factor is this is the day Amir decides, even though reluctant at first, to go to the imam hearing. After this and the published article, he goes through conflicts with his identity, after discrimination with work and relationship problems with Emily after having dinner with friends.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
Will Amir ever be able to come to terms with his Pakistani/muslim roots?
How can Amir balance his identity of being Muslim and being American in terms of his career and family/personal relationships?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The kind of exposition that everyone knows is that Amir wants to distance himself from his roots. His last name is Hindu - Kapoor is a traditional Hindu last name which has nothing to do with Islam. Abe has his name changed to something more "American". Emily knows about what they are trying to do, even when her career herself is being an up-and-coming artist who deals with Islamic artistic themes. Amir and Abe always both tell each other that they should come to terms with identity, even though they BOTH want to dislike their own heritage because everyone knows, including them, that it is much harder in a post 9/11 USA to publicly identify and be proud of their roots.
The exposition that Amir only knows is the things that went on in his childhood. He tells Abe that because of what his mom did to him because of his crush back when he was a child, that Abe must realize that his mom taught him to see other religions as bad, and so therefore he feels animosity towards being raised as a muslim.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment in the play is when Amir beats up his wife Emily. This entire scene exemplifies his inner rage and the episode of violence is an outlet for him to express his mix of emotions because of what has happened thus far. He rejects his background in multiple ways, but cannot get over the fact that it is unfair that is discriminated against for having those roots even though he has distanced himself a lot from them. Emily represents a "white-washed" version of what it feels to be muslim, while Amir represents the real truth. Emily believes it isn't all that bad because she will never understand fully the reactions and racism being that has in society. Amir does understand, and because of those realizations, he wants to forget it all but has the outburst that plays a big role in tying the scenes together.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
Some themes in this play are race, religion, racism, self-identity, society vs, individuality.
8. What does the chief character want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of his getting what he wants?
Amir wants proper social status, respect that his white co-workers get, and to get the job position in the law firm that is instead given to another White co-worker. The obstacles that stand in his way are his Pakistani ethnicity and upbringing, the article in the New York Times after seeing the imam in court, and his Muslim background which he does not like prevent his wants from happening.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
When Emily paints the picture of Amir in the beginning of the play, Abe later recalls about it that Westerners have taken over Muslim traditions and ideals, and have forced them to assimilate into customs that are not in their Muslim culture. Amir becomes very angry with the painting and proceeds to beat up Emily. This image of the painting is a symbol for the dysfunction in their marriage, because they try to avoid the subject of Amir's upbringing conflicting with his wants in life. In a way, the painting makes him a disgrace to the traditional Muslim man and also a disgrace to the typical White man who lives comfortably with himself and society.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
Amir's relationship with his wife and nephew is complicated. Abe judges him for trying to erase his heritage and religion, and calls him out for being like the rest of the people who try to mix in with the American western culture and purposely stop celebrating their ethnicity and upbringing. With Emily, Amir sometimes gets annoyed with her for being ignorant to the conflicts it causes him. In her eyes, she doesn't see it as a big deal and cannot understand why he is so conflicted with his identity. His relationship with her is troubled, as they end up divorcing over this and cheating suspicions. The play also emphasizes the hypocrisy of Amir's mother when she belittled him for liking a Jewish girl, even when other families would do the same to their child if they liked a Muslim person.